Temptress
by Violet Goddess
Summary: She was sent to kill him, a gift to a king but what will happen when he discovers her? R/R! rated for sexual situations and adult themes.
1. Prologue

I know, I know I'm starting on my third story but I've had this idea for a awhile and it was just begging to be written. I ususally always have a title ready to go with every story but this one has been hard to come up with, nothing seeming just quite right. oh well just one step along the way. This is a double shot with chapter one uploaded along with this because this is a teaser prologue, i know you just love those. As always my darling readers REVIEW to let me know you love me! on with the show!  
  
Temptress  
Violet Goddess  
Prologue  
  
Seduction. To entice. To lure. To tempt. Seduction, a word that floats through the  
language on sighs of longing, on vows of vengeance and the perfumed air of mystery. It is  
a word for dark, moonless nights and sweet passions that sweep one away on a flood of  
desire and sensation. Literature abounds with the image of the seductress, there to tempt  
the unwary, to entice the ready and lure innocence away from its gilded cage of virtue.  
The vixen, the femme fatal are really the seductress at heart and they never seemed to  
disappear no matter the moral ideals of the time. Seduction a word of power and Usagi  
knew that that was a power she desperately needed and so she let her mind clear and her  
body relax. Soon it would all begin. 


	2. Chapter 1

As i said this is a double shot so i want reviews people! tell me what you think of this story and this idea and thanks so much to nicole(NikkiD) for helping me get this out of the confusing mess i started with. ok people lets see just what is going on shall we? FOREWARNED THERE IS SOME SEXUAL SITUATION IN HERE BUT NO ACTUAL ANYTYING...YET.  
  
Temptress  
Violet Goddess  
Chapter 1  
  
The veils of her dress were red. A crimson red that reminded a person of a delicate rose or the lush blush of a lover's lips. That was the desire of course, to set the temptation before a person and say "come, come and taste." The slithering veils hung gossamer thin in countless layers that shifted with each movement she made, allowing a glimpse of ivory  
skin, of a flawless thigh, or the gentle curve of a breast. Yes it was all designed to tempt,  
to seduce, all for one man. He had chosen her above all others, had handed her a single,  
perfect rose that now lay clutched in her small hand. It was his symbol, his mark for his  
chosen ones that bid to all others that she was his and his alone, at least for tonight.  
  
Her bare feet made no noise against the smooth, cold stone as she made her way  
down the expansive hallway. The marble of the floor was black, the same as the walls, and  
though it was shot through with gold it had a cold beauty that spoke more of museums  
than a home. It was no matter she told herself and quickly pushed the thought aside as she  
quickened her footsteps. She could feel the cold shock of metal snap against her thigh  
where the small but effective knife lay strapped by a thin band of leather. The few guards  
stationed along the walkway averted their eyes as she passed, their stance straight and  
proud as they held their weapons out in ceremony, the torch light sliding across the steel in  
the sensual patterns of molten gold.  
  
Absently her fingers slid across one of the many palm plants that littered the  
hallway, an Eden in the desert she mused. No smile accompanied the thought as she stared  
stead fastedly at the white silk that billowed in the warm breeze that brought the quiet  
sounds of the night, of the world slowly slipping into sleep. Pushing the silk aside she let it  
slip absently through her fingers as she stepped into a room so large, so rich it was almost  
overwhelming. The large four poster bed, the simple, dark tapestries that hung on every  
wall, the plush carpets, all exuded an arrogance that mimicked their owner as a shadow  
would the body. The same black marble abounded throughout the room, the colors picked  
up in the black silk sheets and hangings on the bed. She didn't have to touch the material  
to know it was silk, he would allow nothing less to touch his skin. The entire wall opposite  
the massive bed was open to the night, white curtains billowing softly, allowing fleeting  
glimpses of the city below and the sparkling bay that lay beyond it. Yes it was a bedroom  
fit for king and he knew it.  
  
"Ahh I see you're finally here." The voice was low and husky, supremely male she  
thought. She turned towards him, bowing her head slightly, the veil covering her face and  
hair surged forwards slightly with her movements.   
  
She felt his eyes raked her form, her face hidden by her crimson veil, only her blue  
eyes were bared. Her breasts were covered with the same sheer material, layered to leave  
just enough to the imagination to entice, while her taut stomach was bared to the midnight  
winds. The low skirt was a collection of scarves tied in a intricate and complex pattern  
that seemed haphazard, as if the whole creation would fall to the floor at the slightest  
movement. She watched his eyes darken with satisfaction, he must want her beyond all  
reason, only then would his guard be dropped, only then could she kill him.  
  
His hand suddenly swept through his ebony hair and she watched the muscles in  
his arm shift in fascination, he really was magnificent. His broad shoulders emanated  
power as did everything about him. He stood now in only black silk pants, his chest was  
bronzed and muscular, perfection in flesh and blood she thought warily. He knew his  
charm and wouldn't hesitate to use it, would probably enjoy the exertion.  
  
"Shall we?" With a wave of his hand towards the massive bed and a small twist of his  
mouth he watched for her reaction, but her face remained expressionless. Without a word  
she walked towards the seductive mass of shimmering black, her step never faltering even  
when she felt his warm breath on her neck. She never stopped, even as she reached the  
edge of the bed, she simply climbed on and stood on her knees as she turned to him,  
beckoning him silently to follow her.   
  
"You are a temptress. I knew it from the first moment I saw you. All that ivory skin." His  
hands slid down her bare arms at the words with a look of awe evident in his dark eyes.  
Swiftly he climbed in beside her, seeking to pull off the tantalizing barrier of gossamer that  
hid her from him but she merely danced out of his reach, sliding across the exquisite  
material of his sheets with evident amusement. He had never seen her face, only her eyes,  
those haunting blue eyes that seemed to call to him. As soon as he had seen her he'd  
known she was different.  
  
She had been given as a gift from the desert tribes of the north, a peace offering to  
the king they had shunned for so long but who now held their tentative fate in his hands.  
The girl had been presented, dressed in her red veils just as the sun was setting, outlined in  
the burst of fiery oranges and red she had seemed a goddess brought down to earth, for  
him. He'd chosen her for his own then. Even now she still held the rose he'd given her as  
his mark, his token of admiration. Blood red to match his passion.  
  
Slowly she crawled towards him, the scene of her on hands and knees on the black silk of his sheet possibly the most arousing thing he had ever seen. The red of her dress  
spilling across the dark material like blood, shifting with her cat like movements,  
highlighting her graceful, lithe body. Gently her hands snaked up his chest, her nails lightly  
scoring his skin, her delicate mouth followed, placing soft, all to innocent kisses across his  
flesh. Ever so slowly she pushed him back, until he lay on his back with her straddling his  
hips, carefully to keep her knife from touching his heated skin. She watched his eyes close  
in bliss as her fingers skimmed lightly across his skin, feeling the taut muscles bunch and  
jump beneath her feather touch.  
  
Now if she could only get him on his stomach, he would be open to attack. She  
gently tried to ease of his middle but strong hands roughly held her there, he wasn't going  
to make this easy she thought. If she couldn't get him on his stomach then she had to get  
him preoccupied so he wouldn't realize when she went for her dagger. Placing her small  
hands firmly against his chest she deliberately moved her hips, crushing his arousal against  
her and causing a small moan to escape his lips and his fingers bit into her waist in a  
crushing grip. She set up a heady rhythm, pressing him again and again against her, only  
the gauzy material of her veils and his silk pants between them. His head fell back against  
the bed as she gradually increased her pace and pressure, riding him harder. She'd never  
had a man respond to her like this, as if her mere touch could set him on fire. One hand  
moved to her breast, molding it to his palm as one thumb rubbed across her hardened  
nipple, eliciting a surprised gasp from her. He was thrusting to met her now and she knew  
she would have to attack soon or it would go to far and he would take her and she would  
lose her chance.  
  
Increasing the pace again she reached down, between her scarves for the steel  
blade that had served her so well in the past, eyes never leaving his face. His eyes were  
still closed, his face taut with the sweet agony of their situation. Carefully she pulled the  
blade out, palming the handle and holding the blade against her arm, away from his view.  
Pulling her other hand away from his chest she flipped the dagger out and clasped with  
both hands and slammed it down in a move so fast her actions blurred together as she  
aimed for his hammering heart. But just as quickly his hands snapped out and captured her  
wrists, stopping her only inches above his flesh, his eyes still closed as his body stilled.  
  
"And what pray tell where you going to do with this?" He asked as he gently untangled  
the blade from her numb hands. His eyes snapped open as he waited for an answer and she  
nearly flinched at the fury she saw there. Gods he looked as if he would gleefully rip her  
limb from limb. "No answer huh?" All she felt was a quick shift of his hips and suddenly  
she was pinned beneath him, his body covering her from head to toe.  
  
"Well my little assassin shall we see who's under this all this red?" The gossamer ripped  
easily as he hands snapped out and stole the veil from across her face. His eyes went wide  
in astonishment and she watched them darken until they were nearly black, all the while a  
riot of emotions spilling across them. And then his lips were crushing her in a desperate  
kiss that spoke of an urgency and longing that shook her with its intensity. His lips moved  
from hers and cruised across her jawline all the while he muttered soft words that didn't  
make any sense to her.  
  
"Serena. My God Serena, you've come back to me. I'm never going to let you leave me  
again. God I love you. I've missed you so much." And on and on he went, kissing her as if  
he were worshipping her body, his hands skimming across her skin as if afraid if he  
touched her fully she might disappear. After long minutes he came back to her face, he  
stared deep into her eyes, hope gleaming in his as he took her in, savoring each bit of her  
appearance. God it had been to long, he been without her to long but now she was here,  
she was with him and nothing could change that.   
  
Then suddenly his world crashed around him as her musical voice floated through  
the air, caressing him if it weren't for the damn question she asked him.  
  
"Who the hell is Serena?"  
~*~*~*  
REVIEW, REVIEW! so what did you think? should i continue on? i only write if people are reading :) 


	3. Chapter 2

Hey kiddies looks like i finally got the next chapter for "temptress" out. i hope you all enjoy it and remember to review. don't worry this isn't one of those "harem girl meets pasha" type deal. tell me what you think everyone and thanks so much to my darling editors for putting up with reading multiple drafts and my millions of spelling errors.   
  
email: bright_eyes_844@yahoo.com (i try to answer every email i get and i usually send out an email to inform of updates....love feedback)  
  
Temptress  
Violet Goddess  
Chapter 2  
  
  
Disbelief coursed through him as her words slowly, reluctantly registered. He felt a pain stab somewhere in the region of his heart as he stared down at her. Looked at those same blue eyes that had haunted his dreams for the past four hundred years, looked at the same flawless skin that felt like satin against his calloused hands, every feature the same as he remembered, the same as those which were burned into his soul. It had been so long, so very long since he had seen her, felt her against his skin and he felt rage that anyone could show him this piece of heaven and then deny him it all in the same foul stroke. He refused to believe anyone could be that cruel.  
  
"You! You are Serena!" The words came out hard and unyielding, sounding slightly desperate even to his own ears. That, more than anything, shocked him. He had been king for more than six hundred years, had learned to move earth and sea at a mere thought, had kept peace in the land and learned to be alone, or so he'd thought, but never once in all those long centuries had he begged anyone. He realized he was begging now and couldn't seem to muster up enough strength to care. She had to be his princess. She had to be Serena. The thought of her after so long next to him, the thought of her denying it, of denying them, was more than he could bear and something primal and tortured inside him snapped free of its restraints and roared in fury at what it had lost. His eyes smoldering and possessive, Darien slammed his mouth against hers, demanding a response, savoring the feel of her after so long without her. He groaned at the feel of her soft lips against his, at the taste of her as it slowly invaded his senses. It was heaven and hell holding the only thing he desired so close and feel his passion rise but feeling her remain stiff and unresponsive.  
  
Pulling back with a growl, he stared down at her and promptly ripped off the red veil that had once seemed so mysterious and appealing to reveal her hair. It spilled out in the gold waterfall he knew it would be. The hell this wasn't Serena! his mind screamed. He plunged his hand into the wealth of silky hair and gripped it ruthlessly around his fist. Tipping her head back he mercilessly exposed the slender line of her throat to his hungry gaze and dipped his head to taste her satin skin. It wasn't until he heard her whimper of fear that the tore himself away and looked down at her tear-stained face. Cursing softly he gently wiped away the silent tears cascading down her cheeks. He didn't recognize this violence in himself, this part of him that felt the need to dominate and possess, but he couldn't fight it. He knew that he would kill anyone that tried to take Serena away from him now, he would kill them without mercy or remorse and it scared the hell out of him. With a sigh of frustration Darien collapsed against her, burying his face against the creamy flesh of her neck.  
  
"I'm sorry." His voice was a mere thread of sound but in the utter silence of the room it was as if he had bellowed the words. His breath was ragged as he lay against her, willing calm into his body, into his mind that was swarming with turmoil and desire for the small woman lying beneath him. He had wanted her before he thought her Serena but now the desire to take her overwhelmed his every noble intention. Even if he found out later it wasn't her, the illusion was there now and for this one moment he could have his love again, could have her with him in the ways he wanted for all those centuries he'd only been able to find her in his dreams. The temptation was nearly unbearable and he felt his muscles clench in restraint.  
  
"I'm not Serena." Darien never showed any indication that he heard her strangled words but she knew he had. She knew that she could play out being this mystery woman he seemed to think she was, she could pretend to be this woman and escape the imprisonment that was a certainty and perhaps return back to her people. But even as the idea formed she pushed it away, something inside of her warning her not to go down that path. No matter the consequences she would not give into one man's desperate wish, king though he might be, that she was some long-lost love. "I'm sorry, I wish I was this woman, but I'm not." She heard something that sounded like a sob at her words and was astonished that the merciless king of Crystal Tokyo was showing so much emotion, let alone over a single woman.  
  
Lying there with the feel of smooth silk beneath her heated skin and his hot breath raggedly fanning her neck Usagi couldn't help but appreciate the irony of it all. Here she was sent to assassinate the very man who thought her his lost lover and instead of killing him she was now beneath him, her hair gripped tightly in his fist as she tried to convince him she was not this "Serena." Ahh yes fate had a sense of humor after all, she thought wryly. Just as she was thinking that she would welcome whatever atrocity was coming next as long as it would happen already her intended victim lifted his head. She gasped at the tortured look etched on his beautiful face, his chiseled features still breathtaking even with red-rimmed eyes and a sardonic twist to his mouth. Before she realized her intent, she brought up a shaking hand to smooth out the frown from his mouth, drawing her fingers tentatively against his lips. At once his eyes darkened and he opened his mouth, drawing a single finger within the warmth of his mouth. His eyes never leaving hers as he began to suckle it insistently.   
  
He watched a gamut of emotions run across her face, from fear to confusion and finally to a tentative desire that shocked Darien to the core. To see her look at him with that burgeoning passion nearly snapped his control then and there but he knew that he had to go slowly. Carefully he from her finger to her wrist, placing small, open-mouthed kisses against the sensitive skin of her wrist and inner arm. Working slowly he made languid progress toward his ultimate goal of her succulent mouth but when he felt her stiffen and then go limp he raised himself on his arms to look directly at her. Instead of the passion-flushed face he was expecting Serena's features were lax with what appeared to be sleep, her lashes forming small crescents against the dusky rose of her cheeks. Confusion coursed through him until he heard the one voice he had never truly expected to hear again.  
  
"I would have expected better from you my king." Pluto's voice was pure and melodious as it drifted through the exquisite room. She stood on the balcony, the night sky framing her slender figure as it was revealed and then hidden by the billowing silk that divided the night from the plush chamber. Green hair swayed sensually as she walked towards the massive bed where Darien still lay atop his Serena, an amused expression clear on her face.  
  
"Pluto." The acknowledgment was terse and laced none-to subtly with annoyance.  
  
"It's been quite awhile, has it not my king?" She stood now at the end of the bed, Usagi's flowing hair pooling around her feet and a furious Darien staring up at her, his feet tangled in the pillows against the head board as he continued to lay rather indecently across Usagi.  
"My king might it not be possible for you to stand. You seem to be in a rather, shall we say, compromising situation?" A flush of embarrassment crept across his face as he slowly slid off Usagi but as he looked back down at her and saw her unconscious state his eyes snapped back to Pluto, flashing in accusation.  
  
"You have anything to do with this?" He waved his hand to indicate the petite blonde lying so helpless on his bed.  
  
"Yes. I thought we needed to talk and she doesn't need to be privy to all of this....yet."  
  
"Yet?" One eyebrow rose in question at Pluto's characteristically enigmatic words. She merely ignored his question and swept past him to a delicately carved chair that sat conveniently next to the bed, its dark mahogany back pressed against the marble wall. It was obvious it was more decorative than functional. Sitting with regal bearing, her slender legs crossed casually, she stolidly regarded Darien.  
  
"She is not Serena, Darien." The words were hard, precise, a fact being presented to a stubborn, petulant child. She merely held one elegantly gloved hand up at the instant denial that sprang to his lips. "She isn't, Darien. This girl is not your nor my Serena." She watched sad, tortured eyes stare down at the girl who looked so much like the only woman Darien had ever loved, ever wanted, ever truly needed and for the first time in her timeless existence Pluto felt a sliver of pity slice through her blood.  
  
Oh emotions were not new to her. She had felt anger and rage, bitter sorrow and helpless frustration. She was the keeper of time, watcher of its threads but never, never to interfere. She had stared at her beloved princess and had known, known she was going to live her terrible fate, known her kingdom would fall and not even a single remnant would survive. She had gone to her wedding thousands of years later and known she would be separated from her love, known the horrible pain, the anguish they would feel and yet she had said nothing. Was permitted to say nothing. Time had laws of its own, rules that one had to follow to survive and so Pluto pushed the pity aside with little more than a glance of curiosity and stared back into those eyes of pain and ice, knowing she could say nothing now.  
  
"Then why?" She knew what he was asking. Why would fate show him this glimpse of the one thing, the only thing he had ever truly wanted and then tell him casually that it was only an illusion. Was fate so cruel? The question shimmered between them unspoken and still Pluto remained silent knowing she could not speak beyond the words assigned for her. "Why? Damn it Pluto why?" His voice was hoarse as if he could not decide whether to scream or succumb to the tears she knew flowed so near his hardened surface.   
  
With silent movements Pluto approached the slight figure that lay dwarfed by Darien's massive bed. With a pained look she stared down at the girl who was all slippery blonde hair and crimson veils.  
  
"Her name's Usagi," she told him, her hardened eyes meeting his desperate ones. No emotion showed there, no it was carefully hidden behind a mask forged by time and tragedy. "She hails from the tribes of the north."  
  
"Yes she was a 'gift.'" Darien didn't glance away from the knowing look Pluto sent him. It was well known to the people of Crystal Tokyo that their king loved women. And though he seemed to take little joy in their company he amassed them as another would jewels or art. Like baubles carelessly acquired and then just as carelessly tossed aside as his interest waned. His jet black hair and midnight blue eyes with their shadows and secrets would have drawn women to him had he been no more than a pauper but he was far from that. He was the most powerful man on Earth.  
  
No one knew for certain if their king had always been the indifferent man he was now. Few in truth thought to ask. Life was prosperous due to his guidance and if he liked a few women then so be it. Only those around him knew the truth. Only they remembered Serena and the laughter and life she had carried with her.   
  
"They sent her to kill you." The words snapped him instantly from his thoughts. A small, cruel smile curved his lips then.  
  
"They would. An assassin is very much their style." His eyes had drifted to Usagi and then pointedly to the small knife that lay so innocently across the room, glinting against the dark marble.   
  
"What will you do with her?" Pluto's voice held no curiosity, no uncertainty. She already knew of course, she was asking the question for his benefit, letting him know that he would have to make a choice.  
  
His voice was flat as he looked down at the small woman who was, by her mere existence, wreaking havoc with his life, with his heart. "I think we both know the answer to that question Pluto."  
  
* * *  
  
A small moan escaped Usagi's lips as she shifted restlessly against the wispy material tangled maddeningly around her body. It was the sound of silk whispering against silk that filled the silent room as she moved that prompted her to try and work through the fog shrouding her thoughts. Why was she lying on silk coverings? Where was her soft bedroll of furs? Her eyes snapped open then.  
  
This wasn't her camp. Where were the stars? The dark interior of her tent had always highlighted the bright points of the desert sky through the small hole cut in the top to release the smoke from her fire. There was nothing like night in the desert. The cool wind still carrying the smell of the heat of the day mixed with musty sand and dirt. The sounds of life burgeoning around you, welcoming night as you drifted off to sleep. It spoke of peace and solitude.   
  
As Usagi lay looking up at the black canopy covering the bed she knew where she was, she was still in his chambers. It was a disheartening thought for she also remembered that she had failed to kill him.   
  
"Are you going to execute me then?" she asked the dark figure that sat in the shadows of a room shrouded in far too many. They seemed to flow into one another as he leaned forward and glared at her. Usagi felt his eyes burn into her. She could barely make out the outline of his body, all except his eyes. They burned as if with the flames of hell as he stared at her, revealing no emotion to her.   
  
He stood then and stepped forward to smile at her. The move surprised Usagi not at all, she knew the tactics of a warrior and this man was nothing if not a warrior. A pity she could have admired him if she hadn't been sent to kill him.  
  
"Do you think I should execute you then, my pet?" She cringed slightly at the endearment that was more to remind her that she was at his mercy than of their intimacy only hours before.   
  
"Well, I don't WANT you to execute me, no." She was frightened by him and his threats, she was woman enough to admit that to herself. She doubted her pleas for mercy would sway him, but it truly didn't matter for her pride would never let her beg. She was of the tribes of the north, a people who had never fallen in battle to outsiders, a people who were honorable and just. A proud people. Oh yes she had pride and she would prove it even if she had to go to the executioner's block smiling like a madwoman. "But then again I wasn't aware I had a say in the matter." And with that she slumped down into the thick down mattress and stared back up at the canopy cover.  
  
"Brave words from a woman who faces death." His words were as icy as his eyes. She felt annoyance rise up at the fact that he would continue to harp on the fact that he could kill her. What did he expect her to do? Collapse into a heap of tears? Kiss his boots? Not damn likely!  
  
"You know I think you have way too much black in this room. I mean the bed, the walls, the ceiling, the floor, need I go on? It's depressing." Her voice sounded casual, but it was all forced. She was shaking with fear and anger at the man in front of her. He was right, he did hold her life in his hands but she would be damned if he was going to intimidate her.   
  
Darien could only blink in shock at her words. God she was so like his Serena, always putting on a brave face no matter the odds. No damn it she is NOT Serena, he screamed to himself. Taking a deep breath he hardened his heart to the woman in front of him wearing his lover's face.   
  
"I know who sent you." Her eyes widened slightly at that but that was the only outward reaction as she continued to stare straight up, her hands idly caressing the silk sheets beneath her. Darien found his eyes following the absent movement of her fingers as they slid across the fabric, felt his body stir despite his determination to remain unaffected. Even now, knowing she was not his Serena, he still wanted her with a force that fairly shocked him.   
  
"What are you going to do to them?" There was no use denying who had sent her. For the love of the gods she was sent to him as a present from her tribe, how could he not know? No one truly thought she would fail, she had had the blessing of the gods of the north behind her and yet here she sat, her mission a disaster.   
  
"Retaliate." The single word echoed off the cold stone and rung a death knell for the people she loved. He would kill them. Every single man, woman and child of her tribe would be eradicated for their attack on him. She felt the tears well up and slide silently down her cheeks leaving small, salty tracks. He would kill them all! He would kill her father. He was their leader and a generous old man who had lost his wife in childbirth to receive his only child. This heartless man in front of her was going to kill him. He would kill Celia, the spunky little girl who always made doe eyes at Daneth who she claimed she was going to marry just as soon as she was old enough. And he would kill the man she loved. He would kill Seiya.  
  
  
  
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! tell me what you thougt because i don't write if no one is reading. 


	4. Chapter 3

Well hello my darling readers. This has been one of my more difficult but nonetheless more intriguing projects. I haven't updated on this fic in nearly eight months. It's amazing how things can just get away from you. This is one of my more intrigue based fics with lots of angst but interesting character developments. I think everyone will enjoy it.  
  
This chapter was a little over 11 pages long so no complaining it wasn't lengthy enough for you. Leave me some reviews so I know what you think. My little writer's ego needs some encouragement to keep writing :)  
  
I have to dedicate this chapter to Liadan for editing this for me spur of the moment. She's got some guts to go up against me and my fragment sentences, bad grammer and awful spelling. Any errors left in this work are there for dramatic effect or were left there by accident. Either way take them with a pinch of salt and enjoy the story. That's why I wrote it anyway.  
  
Now on with the show!  
  
email: bright_eyes_844@yahoo.com ( try to answer every email because I love email.)  
  
website: www.angelfire.com/anime5/violetgoddess/main.html (come check it out!)  
  
Mailing list: I have a mailing list for my sailor moon stories. Simply email with your request. (please specify sailormoon mailing list as i have another mailing list for kenshin fics.) This is my thanks to you kiddoes for reading my work.   
  
Temptress  
  
Violet Goddess  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Seduction. It's a powerful word, one fraught with vile connotations. One remembers Delilah and her Samson, the innocent and the jaded rogue, and other tales told around some long dead fire. The allure, the temptation to taste the forbidden is often something human kind cannot resist. Tell someone they cannot have something and they will strive unto their dying breath to obtain it. From Eve in the garden to the simplest man defying all for a beautiful woman, temptation has always gone hand in hand with seduction. But though seduction is usually a word associated with the pleasures of the body it is not always so. It is possible to seduce another with something far more enticing than mere pleasure. There is something all men seek. Something none admit to wanting except in the dark recesses of their soul where light does not reach, where laughter is kept far away and joy is forgotten. When men lay dying on distant battlefields for causes and kings that no one now remembers, it is the one thing that passes their lips. Love. Simple love and the peace and contentment it brings with it. To know someone will mourn your loss. To know you will mourn theirs. It is so simple yet men have killed for it, have died for it. That was the lure she held before him. Something no man could resist, not even one as jaded as their king.   
  
With a sigh Pluto stepped away from the small pool that allowed her to look upon those who dwelled throughout time. It was cruel how much pain lay before Darien, but she was powerless to stop it. Usagi was offering him the one thing that every human soul craved, a chance for love. It was deadly, this game fate was playing and Pluto could only close her eyes in a silent prayer for her friends and hope that fate would have pity for once in its long life. But silently she knew it would not, it never did.  
  
* * *  
  
It was hard, so very hard to know that you were to be the catalyst for death. Oh people talk about death so easily. About dying for honor, for love or even, god forbid, for their country. It's one thing to die for one's own idealism, but it's something entirely different to be the reason for another's death. To take the choice of life or death out of their hands is something so against the human soul that it rips through you when it happens. It was tearing apart Usagi's soul now. He was going to kill them. Every last person she knew and all because of her. Gasping for breath against a sudden tightness in her chest Usagi knew she couldn't let him.  
  
"Can I stop you?" The question was whispered hoarsely, so quiet Darien wasn't certain he had heard her correctly.  
  
"Can you stop me?"   
  
"Yes. Can I?" He could see her lips moving but no sound was coming out. He wondered what it was she was doing, until he realized she was whispering "please, oh please." It was something so characteristic of Serena that Darien felt his heart squeeze painfully. He silently cursed that she was manipulating him and she wasn't even aware of it.  
  
"Honestly I don't know." Her head snapped up at that, her eyes, that distinct luminous blue shining with tears, riveted to his own. "This is one hell of a situation. God you just had to come here. Damn it, you complicate everything!" He was screaming now but she didn't shrink away in fear. Instead she became angry too. What right did he have to be mad at her?   
  
"Are you blaming me for your problems?"   
  
"You DID try to kill me, you know. We shouldn't forget that little bit of information." Usagi flushed at the heated reminder  
  
"Just answer me damn it! Is there any way I can stop you?" Darien could only stare in astonishment at the small woman laying half-naked on his bed, shaking with anger, who was now dared to scream demands at him. Here she was, accused of trying to kill him and probably facing death and she was yelling at him. He couldn't stop the smile that curved his lips. She was definitely something special.   
  
  
  
The smile slid away as he forced his mind to realize that this was not the woman he loved, this was merely a stranger with her face. His eyes grew hard and cold.  
  
"No." His voice was so calm, so dead that she could only stare at him in shock.  
  
"What?" They had just been fighting, tempers running high and now he stood before her almost stoic in his emotionless expression.  
  
"I said no. Your tribe dared to try and assassinate me, I cannot let that go unpunished."   
  
He began to walk closer as he spoke, his eyes never leaving her luscious form. "I will kill each and every one of them, until the last of their lines dies out. Years from now, people will wonder if there ever were desert tribes in the north."  
  
A screech of outrage and pain burst from her lips as she launched herself at him, seeking death, his or hers she was never certain. There was simply to much pain in her in that moment to keep from lashing out. He caught her easily though, holding her immobile he drew her close, her lips only inches from his.  
  
"As for you, my little houri, you are going to visit a place near and dear to my heart." The look of utter hatred on his face at that moment stilled the breath in her lungs. What hell had this man lived through that had ravaged his soul like this? She waited for him to call the guards but he only continued to stare at her. Then, without warning, he dragged her close and crushed her lips to his. It was a savage, ravaging kiss that spoke of pain so fierce it bordered on insanity, but also of a love so sweet tears came unbidden to her eyes.  
  
And then in a golden flash she was in a small, isolated cell in the dungeons of Crystal Tokyo. An anguished cry broke from her lips as she realized everyone she knew was going to die by the hands of the one man who, even in a moment of rage, had touched her soul.  
  
* * *   
  
The room was small and airless, a cramped prison for one who held the fate of an empire in her hands, even if it was unknowingly. Strange how things had a way of entangling themselves, Pluto thought wryly. Staring down at Usagi as she paced restless in the narrow confines, Pluto felt ill at ease. This was one of the few times she was allowed, even forced, to interfere.   
  
Pluto smiled as she watched Usagi still, alerted to the timekeeper's presence. Few people could sense her, even Darien lacked that particular skill. In spirt of this girl's denial, she had Serena's power flowing through her veins. This girl was her queen.  
  
"What do you want?" Usagi's voice was clipped, cold like the desert night.  
  
"I thought I might tell you what you already know." Pluto stated as she materialized on the small cot that was the only furnishing in the small cell.  
  
"I won't believe it, or you." She stated defiantly as she stood before the keeper of time, the oldest being in the universe without a hint of fear clouding those crystal blue eyes.  
  
"Deny it if you will, I'm not your conscious nor do I wish to be. But you know what lurks in your soul." Usagi's once clear eyes were suddenly opaque, her body tense as she waited for the inevitable. "You are Serena. Her soul courses through your body just as yours coursed through hers. It is the way of things."  
  
"No." The single word was barely above a choked whisper but there was so much pain, so much anguish pressed into it that Pluto actually felt herself flinch.  
  
"It's the truth, something you cannot change through your denials. Do with it as you will."   
  
  
  
It was somewhat overly dramatic Usagi thought numbly, a hollow speech a leader made to troop he would knew he was sending out to die. As silently as she had come Pluto vanished. Now Usagi was alone. Alone in her small cell, in a world that demanded she be a woman she could not. A woman who had died centuries ago.  
  
* * *  
  
The room was dark, airless even in the heated afternoon sunlight. Smoke clung to the walls, the stale smell of alcohol floated through the spacious room that sat empty except for one, lone man. It was an alehouse, like any other in the city but Darien had picked this one. Ami wasn't sure why, chance perhaps, but there sat the king of Crystal Tokyo, dejected and lost. His head was propped against his forearms, laying against the scarred wooden table. His jet black hair hung lifelessly, hiding his face from view. She didn't need to see it to know the ravaged and broken look it would hold.  
  
He had been missing for three days now, masking his energy from them to stay hidden, anonymous in the giant city. Finally they had resorted to searching building by building for their missing king. No one could have expected the scene Ami saw before her. A man who had lost the only thing precious to him a second time, a man who would very likely welcome death with open arms.  
  
Approaching him slowly Ami reached out one white gloved hand and lay it gently on his shoulder. Darien's entire body shook from the slight touch. Unconsciously Ami made soft, cooing noises, trying to sooth something that wracked even her own soul. Darien was her friend, a man who had carried his world through disaster and then stood alone to rebuild it. It had nearly killed him when Serena died, this likely would if they all didn't draw together to save him.  
  
"So you know." His voice was hoarse and raw. Ami wondered if it was from crying or screaming.   
  
Likely both.  
  
"Yes, I know." It was no use to play the innocent here. Everyone knew about Serena's lookalike and each had felt the shock ripple through them. Ami had stood silently as each took the news differently. From rage to tears. But through it all no one could squash the fragile hope that had bloomed within them. Could they have Serena back, their leader and friend? Was the universe that kind? No one had the heart or courage to point out that it had never happened before and likely it never would.   
  
"She's not Serena though. She just looks like her."   
  
"I know Darien." She might know, her very logical brain might accept that fact, but her heart stubbornly refused to realize that one simple thing.  
  
"Pluto." He growled. "She had the honor of informing me, you know. I hate her. I thought about killing her, but I didn't know how to kill someone who is immortal." Ami winced at the bitter hatred and regret in his voice as she inhaled the smell of liquor that wafted off his body in waves. Ami was faintly surprised. Darien never drank. But then if there was ever a time to make exceptions this was it.  
  
"Darien you can't hold her like this, it's not right." Ami's soft words never passed the drunken, tortured shell he had drawn around himself.  
  
"I dream about her you know." He slumped against the scarred tabletop, lost in his own dark world. "Every night. All golden skin and silky hair. She smiles and laughs and everything in the world seems to fit again. It's never Serena or Usagi. They've become one for me." A hoarse laugh floated through the dark taproom, a tortured sound that more resembled a sob of despair than a laugh. "They've become one for me."  
  
Ami stared at the man who was her king, a man who had always been strength, even if at times ruthless strength. He sat before her now a broken man, his mind and soul in tatters and nothing in her vast knowledge could help him.  
  
* * *  
  
"He is, understandably, dying inside." Ami's voice was soft and sympathetic as she spoke to the other senshi. Every eye stared beyond her into the dark bedroom they had finally hauled Darien to. He lay now a wretched heap on his silken sheets, a man without hope surrounded by all the finery of his empire. And to him it was all worthless. Ami stared into the shadowy chamber and felt her heart squeeze painfully before she turned back to her friends.   
  
"We can't let this happen to him again, he barely survived it the first time. Hell WE barely survived it the first time." Rei's angry voice was almost a relief from the morbid atmosphere that had surrounded the palace since the girl's arrival. It was as if everyone already grieved for what they would lose with this girl, or perhaps they grieved for what she could never be. She could never be Serena. No, their Serena was dead.  
  
"So what do you suggest we do then? Storm the dungeons, Rei? Rescue this poor lookalike from Darien's evil clutches?" There was a wealth of menace in Lita's voice. She was having none of this. This girl was tearing apart her family! Damn her angelic face and her innocence, no one was going to shatter the people she loved like this! No one.  
  
"Damn it, I don't know what we should do!" Rei shouted helplessly. She leaned wearily against the cold marble walls, exhausted in body and spirit. She stared at the others blankly, a look of torment ravaging her beautiful features. Rei was a priestess, someone who thrived on, even depended on balance. Indecision was not something she could cope with easily, nor was the atmosphere of death and grief. She needed something for her elegant hands to grasp at, something besides this inaction! Her violet eyes scanned the shadowy room, noting the still body within and her jaw firmed with resolve.   
  
"We can't let this happen again so we're going to do the only thing we can." She felt their eyes on her and she knew without looking the expressions were a mixture of fear and confusion. But she never moved her gaze from Darien's prone form. She must protect him, she thought. She must protect them all.   
  
* * *  
  
She wondered if they were still alive. Would if their souls continue to cling to this plane or would they pass willingly, easily into the next? It was a difficult thing to make herself ponder. Her room was dark now, night had descended upon the great city of Crystal Tokyo, but it mattered little to her. The window allowed a single, sliver of moonlight to struggled through the thickening evening clouds. A storm was rolling in off the ocean. She could feel the electricity flicker through her blood and hear the wind moan and pitch.  
  
  
  
Oddly enough, it made her feel like she was back in the desert. How many times had she stood and watched a storm roll in off the horizon, black clouds and ominous thunder crash across the sky? She remembered how the wind would whip her hair about her, even as the smell of damp earth lingering on it as the storm drew nearer. It was heady, watching lightning fly from cloud to cloud, and wondering how long you might stare at something so powerful, so violent.  
  
Gods how she missed home. She wondered if she would ever see it again. Would they bury her there if she asked? A last wish perhaps? She hoped so for the thought of be buried beneath the tawny desert sands gave her a kind of peace that she could never have imagined. She could endure anything if she could one day return to the desert. She wondered if his soldiers would bury her family or simply leave their bodies out for the desert scavengers? Her body hurt as wave after wave of questions rolled over her, she lay on her side, her head held between her hands as she rocked gently, trying to ease the pain.  
  
It was the sound of footsteps that alerted her to their presence, the sound of the ancient and neglected door opening that told her that she had drawn their interest. She turned slightly, too disheartened to do more, and simply stared. They stood before her proud and yet uncertain in the small, damp room. Four women, each exquisitely beautiful, regarded her with open speculation. She felt their questioning eyes run across her, taking in the tattered crimson veils of her dress, the dirt that lay thick across her pale skin, the salty track of dried tears on her cheeks. Those eyes missed nothing and yet Usagi couldn't dredge up the anger to protest. What did it matter anymore? She had been sent to deliver her people from a king they had not pledged to and did not want. She was to have been their savior. What irony it was that instead, she would be their downfall.  
  
"My God, you could be her." The voice was soft and pained as it floated through the room. Usagi didn't know who had spoken, her eyes were closed against the women. They thought she was her, Darien's woman. She would kill the girl if she weren't already dead.  
  
"Her, her, her! Always her! I'm not Serena." She knew she sounded slightly hysterical but she couldn't help the sharp edge that crept to her voice. She would not stand by and be told she was this long dead woman, would not let them turn her into their Serena. "I am Usagi." Her voice wavered weakly but there was pride in it.  
  
"We know. that's part of the problem," the one with raven hair said. For a moment Usagi lay quietly, entranced as she watched that woman's extraordinary hair slither and snake about her body. It seemed almost alive as it drew the light to it, like a living flame. This woman would be drawn to fire. The thought came from somewhere far in the back of Usagi's mind, a quiet whisper that was so sure and confident that a chill swept up her spine. But how would she know anything about this woman? The fear made her edgy, and snapped back at the woman.  
  
"Who the hell are you? All of you?" Her crystal eyes narrowed on them dangerously even as she lay helpless on her small, rotting cot.  
  
"We were Usagi's protectors."  
  
"And friends." Another added. Usagi didn't bother to see which one had spoken, obviously all these women felt the same. Obviously they were trying to come to some sort of decision. She just didn't know what.  
  
"I gather from the guilt on your faces that you were the ones who let her die?" Usagi knew it was a cold thing to say, something that would merely twist a knife they themselves had thrust into their hearts but she wasn't sorry. These women were her enemies and any weapon was one she must use.  
  
"Yes." No denials, no excuses, just simple acceptance. Yes, the guilt must be great for them to merely accept her accusations.  
  
Rei stared at the flowing gold hair pooling around the girl's head. She stared at the narrowed blue eyes and pouting red mouth. Oh she looked like Serena alright but that was not what held her hand. That was not what stopped her from calling her flame to end this girl. Instead it was her aura. This girl had Serena's soul coursing through her. Rei's eyes widened as she realized this, her hands shook as she drew them through her disheveled hair. This girl was Serena. Different body, same beautiful soul.  
  
"I wondered how long it was going to take for you to figure it out." The voice was soft, melodic with a kind of bitterness that only knowledge could bring.   
  
"Pluto." Rei whispered the word, sensing that the others weren't aware of Pluto's presence. Except for perhaps Usagi, she seemed tense as her restless, exhausted eyes scanned the dingy interior of the room almost warily. Silently Rei stepped into the long, deserted hallway, leaving the other girls to talk with Usagi, to try to come to some sort of resolution among themselves.  
  
The passageway was archaic, the oldest part of an ancient castle and it showed.   
  
The smell of decay and mold clung to the walls, mingling with the scent of the stale water dripping ceaselessly down the pitted walls. It was a dreary place made more so by the echo of anguish that had seeped into the very stones after centuries of prisoners breathing their last within these walls. She walked several paces from the doorway, away from the soft light flowing from Usagi's small window and the single torch they had left outside her door, a talisman against the total darkness that lurked here.  
  
"So I know." The words were thrown out like a challenge, and in a sense they were.  
  
"Yes, so you know. But you cannot tell them." The words flowed around her, no body attached, no origin, merely there. It was a little grating to have to speak to shadows and ghosts like this but for answers Rei would have spoken with the devil himself. She had Pluto penchant for using her powers to play the all-knowing teacher like this.  
  
"Why should I keep this from them?" Her voice vibrated with anger. She was a person who valued those she loved. She couldn't hurt them by denying them this information. Rei's knowledge added a new, unexpected complication to the situation. In a sense this girl was their Serena. Perhaps she could remember. Souls often carried memories from the past lives. Perhaps they could awaken her powers again. Perhaps....  
  
"That is why. They will try to mold her into Serena as surely as the Sun rises each day. They will not be able to help themselves. Their love for Serena will be what suffocates Usagi. She isn't Serena, she never can be."  
  
"But -"  
  
"No! Listen closely. They share the same soul but they are not the same person. No god would be that cruel, to force the mistakes or the passions of another life onto a person." Rei glared into the darkness, stubborn in her hope to have Serena back.  
  
"Then why would fate bring her here. Why would it flaunt her at us."   
  
"Perhaps fate enjoys your pain, who knows?" Rei could almost see Pluto's shrug and she suddenly felt like hitting the green-haired witch. "Leave it be Rei. The girl already lives in the Queen's shadow enough."  
  
"But this is killing us! Killing Darien."   
  
"I know but it must play out....without interference." She added harshly. The darkness fell silent and Rei felt her shoulders slump in defeat. She knew the truth of the timekeeper's words, felt them in her bones. They couldn't kill the girl, but neither could they make her into their leader. Pluto was right, Usagi was a different person, with different allegiances and dreams. It was still painful to accept and her heart rebelled instinctively against the death of that small hope.   
  
She turned back slowly, watching the torch light slide silently across scarred walls. It seemed fate would have the last laugh.  
  
* * *  
  
The gag tasted bitter in her mouth, a constant reminder of bondage as much as the ropes bitting so harshly into the delicate skin of her wrists. A ragged piece of cloth hung securely across her eyes, its foul smell nearly gagging her as her captors pushed her forward. She supposed they were taking her to her execution or perhaps back to their king. The options were each equally unappealing. She heard their harsh voices echo off the stone walls and felt dirt shift beneath her bare feet. She supposed they were in some kind of tunnel. Odd that they should take her by way of passage but she had long ceased to be surprised by anything.  
  
She was still wearing the tattered remains of her scarlet dress. The ragged silk clung desperately to her thin body as she was rushed down endless passageways. Her captors were silent except for their harsh commands to move faster. They weren't cruel to her though, their hands were strong but impersonal. They moved over her with neither hatred nor sympathy. They were simply doing a job. It had been nearly three days since she had been banished to her cell in the crypts of the palace and her body was weak. No food or water had been brought though she doubted she could have consumed any. Her spirit was dead even if her body continued to cling stubbornly to life.   
  
She wondered how long it would be before it too gave out. Would her breath simply cease or perhaps-  
  
Dear gods! The feel of sunlight across her skin was so delicious, so unexpected that she stumbled and fell to her knees. Her hands connected with the lush feel of grass. She ran her hands across it almost lovingly. Her feet had only felt the grit of dirt beneath them but here was a small patch of grass. She was outside! She was beyond the walls of that hellish place. She could die in peace as long as it was away from there.  
  
With a smile on her lips she stood gracefully, ready to follow wherever they led but a beefy hand merely pulled the blindfold from her eyes. The sunlight stun eyes to long accustomed to darkness but it was a sweet ache and one that eventually abated as the men cut the bonds at her wrists and her gag. She turned to see two men, huge in proportion. Both had dark black hair and intense blue eyes. Brothers she realized as she looked at features that mirrored each other so perfectly. Twins perhaps. They both wore the outlandish and impractical uniform of the elite palace guard. It was an outfit that was black from head to toe and required carrying at least one sword though many preferred two. Serena had done her research before attempting her assassination of their king. Though those elite men of the Guard were legendary in themselves. For though black leather seemed impractical it very much accomplished what they intended, intimidation.  
  
"Why?" Her voice was harsh from disuse, a rusty imitation of speech.   
  
"Go." The one to the right replied and then they turned as one and left.   
  
"Where?" The question stopped them though the one on the right never looked back as he replied.  
  
"Home."  
  
* * *  
  
The shifting desert sands felt like heaven beneath her. She rode a small horse, stolen from one of the few villages she had passed through. She had skirted civilization as much as possible on her trek home, fearful of the Guard searching for her. She knew the king had not released her. She represented a kind of hope that he couldn't give up, even if it was a false hope. She wondered if perhaps those women had been behind her release, but she could be sure of nothing. They had looked at her the way Darien had, with a kind of hopeless longing, wishes laced with pain.  
  
It had taken nearly three months to work her way back here, across the vast plains of the south and even vaster deserts of the north. But now she was home. She pulled up her hood against the glare of the afternoon sun. She knew she shouldn't be traveling at this hour but she was helpless to resist the lure of home. In the back of her mind a constant worry nagged that they might already be dead, but she had ruthlessly pushed the thought aside as she worked her way north. Her people were of the sands and they could disappear into them as easily as the wind shifts the dunes.  
  
She smiled mirthlessly as she thought of those first few days after her release, when she had been forced to scrounge and steal her way out of the city. The first thing she had done was steal clothes to cover the crimson dress that would have drawn endless attention. Slowly, she had traveled across the countryside, avoiding people whenever possible. She had not wanted to tempt fate again.   
  
She shifted in the saddle. Her muscles were cramped from the long ride, protesting her endless hours of riding. All her aches were forgotten though as she crested the next dune and saw the simple camp below, encroaching on the small oasis. She was finally home with her people. They were alive! Her heart swelled and she kicked the tired horse into a trot, smiling brightly as it worked its way down the shifting dune. She watched several people step out of their tents and stare inquiringly at her. She threw back her hood and laughed aloud. She saw them shout excitedly while they gestured towards her. Her blonde hair was good for something at least. She was the only one in her tribe to carry the color, a tribute to her mother who had been from the south. Fair and blonde she had been sold to Serena's father as a concubine but there had been love between them, a love that had nearly destroyed her father when her mother had died.  
  
Her eyes lovingly scanned the scene, jumping from face to face. Drinking in every detail ravenously. And then her eyes alighted on one figure, dressed in black from head to toe. She felt her heart sink. Escape was impossible and truthfully where would she go?   
  
She had survived this time because only because of the fierce drive to return to these people. She would never willingly abandon them. So she held her head high and rode towards camp, looking for all the world like a condemned desert queen.   
  
She held her eyes on the far horizon even as she rode into the camp, even when she felt the warm hand grab the reins from her.   
  
"Hello Usagi." With something akin to horror Usagi stared down at Darien. He stood proud and arrogant, like the king he was. His eyes blazing at her. They were the clearest blue she had ever seen. She felt herself drowning in them, drowning in the anguish and desire rioting within him as they stood beneath the hot desert sun. She was sure she heard fate laughing softly or perhaps it was only the desert winds mocking their child. Whatever it watched the two, it could smell the struggle and attraction between these two and gloried in it. 


End file.
